


Cross Your Heart?

by ElysianPlanet



Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: Bisexual Male Character, Confused Wally, Developing Relationship, Eventual Smut, Everyone Is Alive, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Misgendering, OC is gay, Original Character has powers, Original Character is 20, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Original Character, POV Wally West, References to Depression, Self-Discovery, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Trust Issues, Wally West is Alive, Wally West is The Flash, Wally is 23, Wally is discovering his bisexuality, Wally is protective af, forced to live together, slight superbat, whooo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2019-10-08 13:16:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17387069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElysianPlanet/pseuds/ElysianPlanet
Summary: Wally West; Flirtatious, extroverted and laid back. Avery Lee; Reserved, introverted and on edge. Do opposites really attract?After a scarring incident in Gotham involving people claiming to have seen dead friends and loved ones walking around, the Justice League decides to take a closer look at the matter. Traces and evidence leads them to someone named Avery Lee — an aloof young man who has caused more trouble than he thought without even trying.





	1. A Normal Day [Part 1]

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a link to Avery, so that you know what he looks like, scroll to the bottom of the page for all pictures. I recommend looking at it before reading: https://refsheet.net/ElysianPlanet/avery-lee
> 
> Since I didn't wanna do an info dump about Avery's powers during the chapter, I'm going to put a few main points here instead;  
> -Clairvoyant/Aura Reading  
> -Telekinesis  
> (-Possible Telepathy)

**Avery**

“Elvis get off…!” I pleaded, trying to get the big dog off of me. Of course he refused, as he always did when I tried to get out of bed, and in an attempt to keep me under the covers, he placed his front paws on my chest. The pressure made it even harder to breathe, and I began to wave my arms around, alarming the dog that he was literally crushing me. Of course, Elvis being the thick headed muppet he was, he only tilted his head to the side before delivering a big, wet, sloppy kiss to my face. A sound of disapproval left me, and I deadpanned at the dog, who just kept wagging his tail.

“You’re being annoying. You know that right?”

Despite the dog not being able to understand me, his tail stopped moving. I gave him a sympathetic look and scratched his ear carefully. He leaned into the touch, slowly rolling over to the side and off of me. As soon as he did I tumbled out of bed and made a dash for the bathroom, ignoring the small group of figures that were sprawled out on the livingroom floor. Seeing as my dog realized he had been fooled, and the figures had been ignored, I suddenly had a horde after me. I escaped into the bathroom and locked the door, letting out a sigh of annoyance.

I backed away from the piece of wood separating me from Elvis and the others, waiting carefully. I knew the door could keep Elvis outside, but the rest could walk in and out as they pleased. They were ghosts after all.

 

After a moment of silence my body relaxed, and I turned to my sink. Picking up my toothbrush, I stuck it in my mouth and began brushing. As I did that I searched the locker for my eyepatch, and desperately tried to get it on my head while I brushed my teeth, which turned out to be harder than I thought. I tied the strings and buckled the belt part, gurgled the toothpaste and spit it out. Grabbing a thick hair tie, I pulled my dreadlocks back into a ponytail and headed back outside. I had thought about taking a shower, but seeing as the spirits seemed to be high on energy today, I decided I wouldn’t. You never knew when they would sneak up on you.

As soon as I opened the door, Elvis jumped into my arms, barking happily.

“I was in there for five minutes you gremlin.” I chuckled, making a turn and steering away from the dog.

I let my gaze sweep across the small apartment. No spirits. I knew they were here, but with my eye covered up I didn’t have to look at them. Or hear them. It was nice. No unpleasant events could occur as long as I had my eyepatch on.

 After casting a quick glance at my clock, I felt the blood drain from my face. I was going to be late. Again.

Quickly I grabbed my backpack, shoved some necessities in there, said goodbye to Elvis and ran out of the apartment. I swear I would have put The Flash to shame with my speed in that moment.

 

***

 

“Shit shit shit shit…!”

I kept running like there was no tomorrow, my feet almost mechanically putting themselves in front of the other. I rounded a corner, bumping into several people as I did.

“Sorry!” I called back, not even bothering to turn my head to look at them.

After sprinting another 60 meters or so, my workplace came into view. I slowed down, fixed my hair a bit, and opened the door. My plan had been to get inside without anyone noticing, put on my work clothes and go stand behind the counter. Unfortunately, it turned out my boss was visiting, and I didn’t notice he was there until I walked straight into the tall man.

“You’re late.” He grumbled, his big form towering above me. I scratched my neck awkwardly, and averted his gaze.

“Yeah I know I’m sorry, but I won’t-”

“Avery if you’re late one more time I’m gonna have to fire you.”

His words made me turn my head to look at him, my eyes wide.

“W-what?”

The man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Look kid, I like you a lot and I’ve known your parents for years, but that doesn’t excuse you coming in past starting hours all the time. I get you’ve had a tough time since your dad died but…”

His voice died at the end, and he couldn’t finish the sentence, but he didn’t have to. My expression turned a bit grim, and I nodded.

“Sorry Joe. I’ll try and shape up.”

“I know ya’ will.” The red headed man smiled, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. He gave it a reassuring squeeze before turning around and strolled into the back of the coffee shop.

I rubbed my face tiredly, and started making my way to the staff room. It was almost completely empty today. Most of the lockers were open — only two others were closed.

Since I kept to myself most of the time, I had never really gotten to know my co-workers aside from the basic stuff. They were nice enough, and we showed common decency to one another, but we never went past that. Mostly because I put a stop to it. I didn’t want to get involved with anyone, platonically or romantically. I liked being by myself, though that seemed to either worry people or put them off. My mom especially. She always said I was too independent, but I liked it that way. Besides, I was never alone. Not really. When you can see the things I can, you learn to appreciate the dead in another way.

 

My train of thought was interrupted when the door to the staff room opened, and my colleague Dana came inside. She smiled when she laid eyes on me, and gave me a little wave. I returned her greeting, resulting in the brunette’s cheeks gaining some rosy color.

Ever since I started working here, I knew Dana was into me. How? Simple — I read her mind. Okay not quite, but close enough. You see, my first day at the job I had forgotten my eyepatch, and thus my right eye was exposed, making me able to see her aura. As soon as we shook hands and talked it had gone crazy, pulsating with energy. But then again, you didn’t need powers to see that she was fond of me. She wasn’t very good at hiding it.

She hadn’t had the guts to tell me yet though, and I didn’t have the heart to let her down and tell her I didn’t date anymore. At all. Even if I did she would be at a disadvantage since I’ve never felt any attraction to girls. Not my cup of tea, so to speak.

The freckled girl silently walked up to her locker, opened it and took out a book. I cleared my throat.

“Are you on break?”

“Huh? Y-yeah I uhm… I was thinking I would study for a bit. Got an exam next week.”

“Right. How’s college treating you? Do you like it in Gotham?”

“Yeah! Though I’ll admit it’s quite different from Central City.” She smiled. I returned it with a weaker copy. Despite not being a people person, I always tried to be nice.

“Well I’m gonna head out and get to work, otherwise I’ll get fired.”

“Alright. I’ll be out in half an hour or so. Logan is already there.” She beamed, sitting down at the room’s only table. I gave Dana a short nod before heading back out.

There weren’t a lot of people in today. No wonder given that it was a Saturday. Had it been a regular weekday this place would have been packed. Strange, considering Gotham was one of America’s biggest cities.

I went up behind the counter and began to play the waiting game, staring out the window to look at the people passing by. As I was standing there, I felt a presence sneak up behind me.

“Hey Logan.”

“Aw how’d you know it was me?” The blonde whined, taking a stand beside me. I shrugged nonchalantly.

“Joe doesn’t have the stealth game to creep around like you, don’t tell him I said that, plus Dana told me you were here.”

“Creep around? Bro you’re hurting my feelings.” Logan said in mock hurt, putting a hand dramatically to his chest. A smirk played on my lips, and I glanced at the boy next to me.

“I’m fine with that.”

“So cruel.” Logan mumbled, shaking his head.

 

***

 

“Bye Aves! See you Monday!”

I shot Logan a small smile and waved him and Dana goodbye. As soon as I got outside the coffee shop, I started heading for the supermarket. I had been living off ramen noodles for two weeks and I was dying to get some real food. I was not, however, dying to go inside the store. Too much pressure.

As the mechanical slide doors opened, I grabbed a basket and headed inside.

Just like with the shop, there weren’t a lot of people in here. Mostly old people and a few moms with their kids.

“Avery? Avery Lee?”

At the sound of the familiar voice I stopped dead in my tracks, unable to move. I plastered on a big fake smile and turned around.

“Gary… hi.”

The male approached me with a smug grin on his face, hands in his pockets.

“Geez how long has it been? Two years? Man, time flies huh?”

“Yeah…” I retorted, shuffling around in my spot. Couldn’t he just leave?

“So have you been seeing someone new?” He asked, taking a step closer. I sighed in annoyance, though I tried my best to make it seem to be a confirmation of sorts.

“No. You?”

“A few. No one as spectacular as you though.” He remarked. My stomach dropped. I immediately knew where this was going.

“Gary, I’m a bit busy at the moment. See you around.”

I turned on my heel and began walking in the opposite direction, but of course, Gary would have none of that.

“Hey wait up! I was thinking maybe we could grab a coffee or something. You work at that coffee shop a few blocks down, don’t you?” 

“H-how do you know that?”

Instead of giving me an answer, the male just took another step forward.

“What do you say Avery?”

“Look Gary, I tried to let you down easy, but now I’ll be less graceful. No. Not in a million years. There was a reason we broke up. No scratch that, there was a reason _I_  broke up with _you_.”

“Remind what that was again.” He said with a shit eating grin smeared over his lips.

“You cheated on me.” I spat, shooting him an icy gaze. Gary laughed quietly. God did I want to punch him.

“Hey don’t be like that. I actually miss you.”

“Well I don’t miss you. Goodbye Gary.”

I tried walking away from my ex yet again, hoping he would leave me alone. He seemed to have other things in mind, as I barely managed to take two steps before he grabbed my wrist and turned me around. 

“C’mon Aves.”

“Let go!”

**Thunk**

“Ow! What the hell?!”

I didn’t mean to do it, but given how much Gary had pissed me off at this point, I may have removed my eyepatch and used my telekinesis to throw a can at him. Not that Gary would notice. He was too stupid to even know how to turn on a stove.

With him being distracted I wriggled out of his grip and made a run for it. Without putting my eyepatch back on. And I’m calling Gary stupid.

It didn’t take long before people’s auras came into view, and I saw more than one unpleasant spirit walking around.

“Avery!”

The sound of Gary’s voice only increased my existing stress, and I couldn’t think straight. I felt my head spinning, my breath picked up and turned into hyperventilation. I knew a panic attack was on its way. The voices around me started getting louder and my next course of action, was all but discrete.

 


	2. A Normal Day [Part 2]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, everyone in the league misgendered Avery and took him for a girl in this chapter. It's pretty common for people to do so, given his somewhat feminine features.

**Wally**

“What’s going on?”

“Someone in Gotham is causing mass panic. From what we’ve gathered, they have nearly destroyed three blocks and everyone within an 80 meter radius are seeing dead people.”

I stared in disbelief at Bats and crossed my arms.

“Dead people? Like ghosts?”

“Yes.” He retorted curtly.

“So what do we do?”

“You, J’onn and Wonder Woman are going to find the person who’s behind this. Lantern, Superman, Hawkgirl and I will help the civilians.”

“Sure thing. You’re the boss.” I mused jokingly, giving the older man a salute. Bats didn’t react at all, which I totally expected, and ran off with the other half of the team. Looking over at J’onn and Diana, jabbed my thumb in the direction behind me.

“How about we start over there?”

The others didn’t have much time to respond before I ran off. A bad habit, sure, but I couldn’t help it.

Quickly I checked alleyways and areas where I saw anything resembling traces of the trouble maker. There weren’t any consistent leads, aside from broken street lights and signs.

Just as I was about to check the next block, J’onn’s voice came through my earpiece.

“Flash, Wonder Woman, I found something.”

Without thinking twice, I made my way over to the martian.

“What do you got?”

“This.”

Before I had time to take a proper look at the item, J’onn handed it to Diana. She arched an eyebrow, clearly confused.

“I don’t want to discourage you J’onn, but, this doesn’t look like anything to me. It could be anyone’s.”

“Witnesses reported seeing a young adult with an eyepatch just like this. Supposedly they also have what you on earth call ‘dreadlocks’. Dark brown and blonde, if I’m not mistaken. ”

“Sweet, so where are they now?” I asked, a smirk playing on my lips.

“Their whereabouts are unknown, but I suspect they went in that direction.” J’onn stated, nodding his head to the east. Diana and I exchanged a look, and the amazon tilted her head to the side.

“How do you know?”

J’onn looked down at the ground for a second, and then looked back up.

“I can sense them. They have left a very strong trace behind.”

“A trace?”

“What do you mean? Are they telepathic?” Diana questioned, folding her arms over her chest. The martian confirmed her suspicions with a curt nod.

“They might be, yes.”

I pursed my lips, my brows furrowing at J’onn’s words.

“Does that equal dangerous in this situation?”

“Possibly.” J’onn mumbled. I hummed in thought, and Diana shot J’onn a glance.

“Can you track them?”

“Maybe. The trace is getting weaker but I should be able to pick something up.”

Diana nodded, and turned to me.

“Alright. Flash, how about you cover the ground from down here, and I search above? J’onn, try and gather whatever you can.”

I gave the amazon a thumbs up, a big grin taking over my features.

“On it princess!”

“Flash, wait.” J’onn began, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t do anything irrational based on impulse. If you find them, call us.”

“Hey don’t worry! I won’t do anything stupid!” I retorted with a laugh. The two people before me looked at me with slight disbelief in their eyes, making my stomach drop a tiny bit. But, like with most negative emotions, I pushed it aside for now. It wasn’t good to dwell on things like that during missions.

“I’ll talk to you when I find something!”

And with those words I was off, looking all over Gotham for our mysterious telepath.

 

***

 

“Where are you…” I mumbled, my eyes scanning the neighbourhood I was in.

It had been half an hour since I separated from the others, and I hadn’t found jack shit. I had barely heard from J’onn or Diana, so I guess they hadn’t discovered anything useful either. The most exciting thing I’d heard in the past thirty minutes was that Bats and the others had managed to round up the civilians and calm them down. They hadn’t gotten any information from them that could be of use though, which kind of sucked. Anything that could help us find this person was welcomed.

**Clank**

The noise of something made out of metal colliding with the ground snapped me out of my brooding state, and I made my way over to the source of the sound. I rounded a corner, and my eyes widened. Let’s just say it was like the universe heard my request, and I was not disappointed.

“Holy shit.”

Right there on the ground, there was a girl, passed out and matching the profile of our assailant. Without giving the situation a second thought I crouched down and lightly rocked the girl.

“Are you okay? Ma’am?”

She didn’t even move. I studied her freckled face. She certainly didn’t look like she needed an eyepatch.

I tried waking her once again.

“Are you alive?”

This time around she stirred, but not much else. I furrowed my brows in worry, and reached for my earpiece.

“Hey J’onn, I found her.”

“‘Her?’”

“Yeah. It’s a girl. She fits the profile. Should I bring her to you?”

“No, stay there. I’ll call Batman.”

 

***

 

“Has she woken up yet?”

“No, but she’s been stabilized.”

I gave J’onn a nod, waiting for someone else to chime in and say something. As if he could read my mind, GL didn’t hesitate to open his mouth.

“So do we think she did it?”

“I think we’re asking the wrong question. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of why.” Hawkgirl interjected, her hands placed on her hips. Supes shot her an icy glare.

“We don’t know for sure. I’m sure there are many people in Gotham that could be the cause.”

“That may be, but we shouldn’t rule her out.”

We all turned to look at the Bat, who was by the watchtower’s main computer. He turned his head slightly.

“She’s the only one we’ve found so far that fits the profile. We can’t risk letting her go in case this wasn’t an accident.”

Diana squinted, clearly not liking Batman’s accusations.

“You mean she might have done it one purpose?”

“It’s a possibility.” He retorted with a cold voice. I frowned at his words. Always the optimist, wasn’t he?

“I suggest we question her as soon as she wakes up. If she didn’t mean anything by destroying three blocks and scaring 300 people, she won’t have anything to worry about.” Batman stated, now having turned around completely.

Feeling a bit discouraged by all of this, I decided to head over to the medical bay to check on our pretty guest. Maybe seeing a cute face would cheer me up.

Walking into the bay, I went up to the girl’s bed, grabbed a chair and sat down next to her. She really was pretty. Beautiful even. Brown skin with reddish undertones and freckles. Her dreadlocks were sprawled out all over the pillow, her chest rising and falling as she breathed.

“I wonder what you’ll think of all this when you wake up. Not everyone gets brought to space a Saturday afternoon.” I mumbled, mostly to myself. The girl stirred a bit in her spot, turning around so she faced me completely. I let out a small chuckle.

“I find it hard to believe you would hurt anyone. You look pretty harmless to me.”

 

For the next forty minutes I kept talking to her, even if I knew she couldn’t hear me. Somehow it felt comforting. Maybe I’d just had a long day, who knows, but it was nice nonetheless.  
Letting my eyes scan her body, it was only now that I noticed the bandages tightly wrapped around her hands. Carefully I lifted the one closest to me, and undid the wrapping. I’m not sure what I expected to see, but I didn’t think it would be wounds that had already healed. All that was there were scars. Thin lines. Nothing more. A confused expression overtook my features — why would she wrap up scars?

“What are you doing?”

The sound of Diana’s voice startled be a great deal, and I immediately let go of the girl’s hand.

“Nothing. What are _you_ doing?”

“J’onn asked me to check up on her, but seeing as you’re already here, maybe you can tell me how she’s doing.” The black haired woman quipped, a smirk playing on her lips. My gaze moved between Diana and the girl.

“Well uh… she hasn’t died yet…?”

Diana’s smirk shifted into a warm smile, and she came over to stand next to me. She looked down at the girl, seemingly pondering over something. I shot her a look that asked her what she was thinking. At first her response didn’t consist of much more than a sigh and a shrug, but after a moment of silence, she seemed to find the right words.

“Do you think she did it on purpose?”

I shot the princess a glance, and shrugged.

“Nah, not really. But hey, she might have escaped from Arkham with the intent of causing mass destruction. Who knows.”

Before Diana could respond, the girl started to move around in the bed, and it was clear she was waking up. The woman beside me was quick to alert the others through her earpiece.

“J’onn, she’s waking up.”

Within thirty seconds the rest of the league had joined me and Diana in the medical bay, all gathering in a circle around the bed. I stood up from my chair, and we waited for the girl to open her eyes. When she did, she didn’t say anything, just stared in disbelief at us. Probably because of shock.

In an attempt to break the ice, I leaned in a bit and smiled.

“Hello ma’am. It’s alright, you’re safe.”

She blinked, staring at me like I was an alien.

“Wha-”

“I guess you already know who we are, so introductions won’t be necessary. At least not from our side. How about giving us your name cutie?”

There was a silence, and the girl furrowed her brows. She didn’t have much time to process what had just happened, before Bats decided to speak up.

“ _His_ name is Avery Lee.”

My eyes widened at the man’s words. He?


	3. An Explanation

**Wally**

Alright then. I had just flirted with a man. A man mind you, who looked like he was about to pass out again.

“W-what’s going on? Why am I here? I didn’t-”

“You have been taken into custody by the Justice League. The cause being the event in Gotham you set in motion.”

The guy, or Avery, suddenly seemed very distressed, and reached up for his eye. As soon as his fingers brushed against the eyepatch, his body visibly relaxed. He let out a shaky breath, closed his eyes, then opened them back up to look at us.

“If you’re referring to the thing that happened in the supermarket, I hardly think that’s something the Justice League needs to be involved in? I threw a can at my ex, I didn’t blow something up.”

The other members and I shared a look, and Diana bit her lip, trying to find he right words.

“You did a bit more than that. You destroyed three blocks and scared the life out of 300 people.”

“323 to be exact.” J’onn added.

Avery furrowed his brows, and his gaze fell to his lap. Seeing as he seemed so confused, genuinely not knowing what was going on, I decided to take his side.

“Maybe he doesn’t remember. I found him passed out, right? Something could have hit him on the head or whatever.”

“He doesn’t have any signs of trauma to the head.” Batman muttered. “Either he’s not telling us the truth to protect himself, or he’s protecting someone else.”

“We can’t assume he did it on purpose.” Superman retorted.

Slowly but surely the league started arguing among one another, with Avery in the middle, looking scared and lost like a deer in headlights. I frowned, annoyed with the others for accusing him and discussing things about him when he was sitting right here.

“How about we just play ‘bad cop’?” Hawkgirl suggested, earning a confused look from GL.

“Don’t you mean ‘good cop, bad cop’?”

“No, just bad.” She confirmed, her grip on her mace tightening. At the sight of that, I decided it was enough.

“Okay no, stop. Everybody. First off, he’s sitting right here. It’s not a dog, it’s a human you’re talking about. He can understand everything you’re saying. Second; you haven’t given him any time to explain himself. Maybe he genuinely doesn’t remember. Maybe someone else is behind all this. Just because he was at the scene doesn’t mean he did it.”

“But the witnesses specifically pointed him out.” Hawkgirl said, narrowing her eyes at me. I folded my arms over my chest.

“They pointed out _someone_. Sure, he may fit the profile, but that doesn’t mean it was him. I’m sure a lot of people in Gotham looks similair to him.” I explained, desperately trying to get my point across. The other’s eyes fell for a second, and it didn’t take long before Diana gave me a nod.

“Flash is right. Maybe we should have a more gentle approach.”

“Thank you princess! She gets it!” I exclaimed, flashing a proud smile.

“Can… can I say something…?”

We all turned our eyes to Avery, who looked scared to death in his seat.

“I uh… I… I probably _am_ the cause. I’m not denying that, but I honestly don’t remember what happened. Its… not unusual. I’m not very good at controlling my powers. I have never really put them to use.”

“So you do have powers?” J’onn asked. He probably wanted to get his theory about the telepathy confirmed.

Avery nodded, and placed his fingers on the eyepatch.

“Yeah. I’m telepathic, but I guess you already suspected that.” Avery began, getting a short nod from J’onn as an answer.

“Yes. You left a very strong trail after you. If I may ask, did you use the telepathy to make people see their dead loved ones?”

“Their what?”

“You made the citizens see dead people.” GL stated flatly. Avery’s eyes widened, then his eyebrows furrowed, and then he went back to being wide-eyed.

“Uh… no? I don’t think so? I mean, _I_ can see ghosts. It’s part of my ability, but I’ve never made anyone else…”

His voice died at the end, implying that there was more to be said. He brushed over it rather quickly and moved on, seemingly not wanting to go into more details.

“It’s happened _once_ , but it was a long time ago. I’m not really good at making others see things. Usually I deal with that. With the ghosts and all I mean.”

“And how do you explain the destruction of three blocks?” Batman questioned. Avery pursed his lips.

“Well… I’m telekinetic, but… I’ve never done any damage. Mostly I can only move small objects.”

“Did you happen to be under distress at the time of the event?” J’onn asked, trying to be as gentle as possible. Avery thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Uh yeah I guess. My ex was there and wouldn’t leave me alone.”

“Then perhaps, when put under extreme stress, your powers become more powerful. It’s not unusual for that to be the case.”

There was a silence, and all I could see in Avery’s face was exhaustion.

“When… when can I go home?”

The question hit me like a ton of bricks. After all this, he just wanted to go home? I expected him to ask more questions, but overall he had been pretty quiet, aside from explaining a few things.

Batman narrowed his eyes a bit, letting out a determined huff.

“You can go when we say so. For now, you’re staying here.” He muttered, turning on his heel and leaving the medical bay. Most of the league’s members followed, with the exception of me and J’onn. The martian shot the stranger on the bed a sympathetic look.

“I will check up on you regularly every half hour. Try not to leave the bed.”

After saying those words J’onn left, leaving only me and Avery. I suddenly felt very awkward, and all I wanted to do was leave.

“You can go you know.” Avery mumbled, now resting his head on the pillow once again.

“What? No I uh… sorry. It’s not that, I just-”

“I don’t have to be telepathic to see that you want to.”

“Ah well… it’s nothing against you. I guess I just feel bad.” I sputtered, rubbing my neck awkwardly. Avery raised an eyebrow.

“Why?”

“For thinking you were a girl. And for flirting, and… whatever else I might have done to offend you.”

The boy snorted quietly, and his lips curved up into a small smile.

“It’s fine. It happens all the time.”

“The flirting or…?”

“The ‘people thinking I’m a girl’ part. I’m used to it, so don’t work yourself up.” Avery retorted, his smile growing a little bigger. At the sight, I felt a warm feeling take form in the pit of my stomach.

Okay. That was new. Not sure I like it. Engage in mission get the hell out.

“Anyways… I should, y’know, get back. They might need me in there.”

“Y-yeah, of course.” Avery nodded. “I wouldn’t wanna keep you.”

 

***

 

“What are we supposed to do? We can’t keep him here forever.”

The group shared knowing looks with one another, all agreeing to Hawkgirl’s statement. It didn’t take long for Bats to voice his opinion.

“I still want to do some investigating. Besides, J’onn said it would be unwise to let him leave our care for now. He might have some sort of internal injury, hence his memory loss and why he blacked out.”

“So what? _We_ need to leave at some point. And even if J’onn were to stay behind, we can’t burden him with babysitting duty. We have other matters to concern ourselves with. Let’s just drop him at a hospital.” Hawkgirl retorted, letting out a long and annoyed sigh as she did. Diana pursed her lips, crossing her arms.

“You’re forgetting that the police is most likely looking for him, and even if we know he didn’t mean anything by this, they may not. If there’s one thing I’ve learned by your law enforcement, it’s that they’re increadibly stubborn and quick to judge. I’m not sure they will listen to Avery even if we vouch for him.”

“The princess got a point.” GL muttered, earning a thankful smile from the amazonian.

“So what do we do?”

My question was met with eyes equally confused as mine, maybe with the exception of Batman, and Supes displayed a shrug.

“Unless anyone is willing to… I don’t know, take Avery in to keep an eye on him, I’m not sure there is anything we can do.”

“Take him in?” Bats questioned, his eyes narrowing into slits.

“Well, three of us doesn’t keep our identity secret. John, J’onn and Diana. That way it would be fairly simple to keep things easy and professional. Plus, the rest of us wouldn’t be putting our private lives at risk.”

John frowned, obviously not liking the idea.

“So you mean you’re willing to put _our_ private lives at risk but not your own?”

“John the fact that you’re open with who you are already puts you in more danger. I don’t think this would be such a big deal in the long run.” Hawkgirl noted, her face emotionless. This set off a chain of arguments, and I let out an annoyed grunt. Couldn’t these people ever get along?

“How about I do it?”

As soon as the words left me I regretted letting them escape. That was dumb. So dumb.

“What?”

“Flash you do realize-”

“That it would expose my identity, yeah I got that. I kind of regret suggesting it but what other choice do we have?”

“This might not be such a stupid idea.” Batman remarked, earning several surprised looks. It wasn’t often he praised someone. If you could call that praise. I wouldn’t know, he’s very weird and hard to read.

After a moments pause he continued;

“Think about it. Flash would be able to keep Avery separate from the league through his personal life, but at the same time it would allow us to keep an eye on him.”

A silence fell over us, and it was clear everyone was thinking this over carefully.

“What about Avery’s personal life in Gotham? He probably has a job. Maybe he lives with someone. How would he explain having to leave for Central City?” I asked, my anxiousness growing.

“Maybe he doesn’t have to move?” Superman suggested. I cocked an eyebrow in confusion, trying to get an explanation.

“Well, if _you_ moved in with _him_ , his life wouldn’t be turned upside down. More than it already has that is. You could be passed off as roommates.”

“But what about _my_ job?”

“You’re in between.” Bats pointed out.

“Thanks for telling everyone.” I frowned, staring daggers at the man. He made no effort to apologize, of course, and turned to type something into the computer.

“Avery lives in one of the more quiet parts of Gotham, so watching him should be easy. The closest thing he has to a roommate is his dog Elvis, and he works at a coffee shop about 15 minutes from his home.”

“How did you-”

“I looked at his Facebook.”

I put my hands to my face and let out a frustrated laugh.

“Alright fine, I’ll do it.”


	4. Roomies

**Avery**

 

“This sucks…” I mumbled, picking at some strands of hair hanging over my face. Reaching up to my touch my eyepatch, I slowly unbuckled it. Having it on while sleeping hurt like hell. Plus it left ugly marks.

After removing the medical accessory, I blinked a couple of times, trying to adjust my right eye to the bright light. Unlike at home, my vision was not filled with spirits. It was weird. You would think that there would be at least one dead person in this place.

My pondering was interrupted when the sound of a knock reached my ears. I turned my head to the doorway, and found Flash standing there along with Batman and Superman. I should have been more nervous, but my attention was focused on the Bat, who had two more people standing behind him. An elderly couple. I couldn’t quite put my finger on who they were, but they looked incredibly familiar. Immediately I felt like I was prying, and covered my eye up with my hand.

Flash was the first one to break the silence.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“I guess… my head hurts a lot.” I retorted with a shrug. Flash nodded slowly, and shot the other two heroes an uncertain look. As a response, Batman took the lead.

“Because of what have happened today, we can’t allow you to wander off without supervision.”

“What?”

“We have decided that one of the league’s members will be watching over you. This is purely a precaution.” Superman chimed in, trying to make his voice as reassuring as possible. It didn’t work.

“Watching over- what’s that’s supposed to mean?”

“You endangered over 300 people. That’s warranted to get our attention. And given the fact that you don’t seem to have full control over yourself or your powers, we decided it would be necessary to have someone keep an eye on you.”

I stared in disbelief at the trio. Batman didn’t even show a hint of emotion, making his explanation all the more frustrating.

“O-okay? Who’s gonna- I mean, isn’t keeping your identities a secret super important to you?”

“One of us was willing to sacrifice it.”

I raised an eyebrow and leaned back in my seat. A member of the _Justice League_ was willing to put their secret identity at risk because I messed up. It was beyond me, but it didn’t seem like I had much of a choice when it came to refusing.

“So… what’s going to happen now? Do I have to move out?”

“No. Your watcher will be moving in with you.”

I pursed my lips, pondering the question that was floating in my head. Who was willing to sacrifice their life for me?

As if he could read my mind, Flash took a step forward and pointed at himself, sporting a wide grin.

“Guess we’ll be roomies!”

I’m not sure if it was shock or embarrassment that made me unable to respond, but it sure as hell was one of the two.

After some words were exchanged between the heroes, Superman and Batman had left me and Flash alone to talk this whole thing over. The speedster sat down on a chair next to my bed, elbows on his knees and hands clasped together.

“So… where do we start?”

“...how about you removing the mask…?” I asked quietly with a shrug. The man before nodded, and just like that, the mask was off. Out came a head with a red set of hair.

“Wally West.” He mused, holding his hand out. I accepted the gesture, and shook his hand in a formal greeting.

“Avery Lee, but you already knew that.”

Wally smiled, but his eyes shot me an apologetic look.

“Sorry about this whole mess.”

“It’s not your fault, it’s my own.” I mumbled, a small smile on my lips. It was only now that I noticed that my hand was still firmly placed on my face, and with slow movements I brought it down. Wally studied my eye, obviously curious.

“You’re blind? Is that why you wear the eyepatch?”

“Huh? Oh, no this is… my eye is the source of my powers. If it’s covered I can’t use them.”

“Really? So you can like, see ghosts now?”

I shook my head lightly, my dreadlocks moving along. Despite me actually having seen two ghosts, I decided not to tell him. It seemed like private matters to that of Batman.

“No. I thought I would, but there’s no one here.”

“That’s weird, cuz we have like a whole horde of lizard-snake ghosts somewhere around here.”

I only nodded in response, as my attention was grabbed by Wally’s aura. Yellow. I let out an amused snort. Of course that would be his color. My laughter did not go unnoticed, and the red head before me smiled.

“What?”

“Sorry, it’s just that your aura is so… typical. It’s exactly what I imagined it to be.”

“My aura?” Wally retorted with an intrigued tone. I hummed in confirmation.

“Yeah. I can see that too.”

“Cool! I know a little about auras, but not much. What color is mine?”

“Yellow.” I said, my face lightening up. Usually I had a hard time talking to new people, but with Wally it felt very natural. Almost like clockwork. Of course, with a yellow aura that would be the case. Plus, I might have been a bit excited to talk about my powers and have them being asked about. I’d never had anyone to talk to about this.

“So what does it mean? Does yellow mean the person is handsome?” He wondered, a smug grin displayed on his face. I laughed quietly and shook my head.

“Aura’s don’t tell me anything about people’s physichal appearance. Just who they are as a person. Your morals, values and traits. Stuff like that. It can show me your emotions too.”

“Sweet! What color are my emotions right now?”

I scanned the outline of the yellow, and laughed.

“Just more yellow. It means you’re happy. Excited.”

Wally beamed, seemingly pleased with what I told him. The outline of his aura began pulsating, shifting color. Orange, green and back to yellow.

“So what’s yours?”

“Hm?”

“Your aura. What color?”

“Oh uh… I don’t know about my emotional aura. I can only see it in my reflection. But my core is indigo.” I said with a nod. Wally’s smile grew, and he stood up from his seat.

“Well Avery, I think this roommate thing might turn out better than we think.”

 

***

 

After some much needed discussing between the league and myself, they had finally allowed me to go home — with Wally tagging along of course.  
After the hero had changed into civilian clothes, we had been transported back to earth near my apartment. While we made our way back there, I tried to get to know the man whom I would be living with from now on.

“So where do you live?”

“Central City. I’ve got a pretty sweet place over there.”

“Nice, my co-worker Dana comes from Central City, but she’s currently living in Gotham. She goes to college here.”

“You work at a coffee shop, rigth?”

“Yeah. It’s… less than ideal but it helps me pay my rent.”

“You don’t like it there?” He asked, his eyes scanning my face. I shrugged.

“I don’t know… My co-workers are nice, and most of the customers are as well. The thing is though, I’m not really a people person. I don’t like to be excessively social.”

“Really? I didn’t take you for a shy person.” Wally admitted, cocking his head upwards to look at the sky.

“It’s not so much me being shy as it is me being an introvert. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t avoid human interaction, but I’d rather spend my days reading a book or hanging out with Elvis than going out.”

Wally hummed, and let his head fall back into it’s natural position.

“Can’t relate. I love being outside.” He chuckled. I mimicked the sound, shoving my hands down my pockets.

“Figures. You’re probably the most outspoken in the league. The biggest extrovert in the group.” I noted, meeting his gaze. Wally grinned.

“Hey, it’s part of my charm. Why do you think all the ladies want me?”

“Oh so you’re a ladies man?” I asked smugly. He smirked, and said with mock innocence;

“Hey I’m a real gentleman! No one has ever complained.”

“I believe you.” I mumbled, my eyes landing on my apartment complex that was coming up ahead.

“So what about you?”

“About me, what?”

“Are _you_ a ladies man?” Wally questioned, raising his eyebrows teasingly. I let out a loud laugh. I wasn’t sure if it was because I found his question genuinely funny or if it was a way of mocking it. Maybe both.

“No I’m not.”

“Why’s that?”

“I’m not into girls.” I shrugged. “Besides, I don’t date.”

My answer seemed to have caught the man off guard, and I felt a nervous lump form in my stomach. Wally tilted his head to the side.

“You’re gay?”

“Yeah. Does that bother you?” I asked with worry. The red head shook his head, a smile playing on his lips.

“No, not at all! More girls for me.” He laughed. I felt a relieved sigh leave me, the corners of my mouth turning up.

“That’s nice to know.”

There was a silence, and it was only broken once Wally let out a hum.

“So, you don’t date at all?”

“No, not really. When I was younger I was mostly involved in relationships that only lasted a couple months. I’ve never found someone that I’ve really clicked with. Someone I can sustain a long term relationship with.”

“ _That_ I can relate to. I’m not the type of guy to settle down either. Most of my girlfriends have been flings.”

“So you’re not with anyone right now?”

“Nah, I’ve been playing solo for quite a while. You?”

“Yeah same. My ex, Gary, he was uh… difficult.” I said curtly. This peaked Wally’s interest, much to my dismay, as I wanted to avoid talking in depth about Gary at all costs.

“Was he the one that caused you to go berserk before?”

“Yeah.”

My short answer seemingly made Wally understand that I didn’t want to move further into the subject, and so he didn’t ask any more about it.

 

When we arrived at the building, I punched in the code into the number pad. It gave away a little beep to signal us that the door was now unlocked, and we went inside.

The walk up the stairs was quiet and somewhat awkward , and I started fiddling with my key to avoid eye contact.

When we reached my door, I felt my hands shake slightly as I tried to unlock it. After a few failed attempts, I finally managed to get the key in the hole and turn it, hearing a little click in return. I had barely opened the door, before my dog came flying towards me.

“Ah! Elvis get off!” I shrieked, falling backwards thanks to the extra weight throwing itself at me. The dog started licking my face enthusiastically, jumping up and down on my chest.

“I can’t… breathe…!”

Wally let out a chuckle, before grabbing Elvis’ collar and pulling him off of me.

“Okay as cute as you are, I can’t let you crush Avery before my watch has even started.”

A strained ‘thank you’ left my mouth, and Wally beamed at me in return.

“He’s a hugger.” He noted. I hummed in agreement.

“You can say that again.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used Google Translate for the spanish conversations don't @ me please

**Avery**

“So you mean to tell me that you have _never_ been outside the US?”

"Why is that surprising?” I asked, my eyes fixated on the vegetables I was chopping up.

“It’s just… there’s so much to see!”

“Well, unlike you, the general public has to pay in order to travel. You can just run wherever.”

“True.” Wally noted, handing me the tomatoes. “But isn’t there someplace you would like to visit?”

I thought for a moment, blowing a loose strand of hair out of my face.

“Mexico.”

Wally hummed, a smile decorating his features.

“Why’s that?”

“My grandparents, aunts and cousins live there.”

“You’ve never met them?”

“No. Mom moved from Mexico to America when she was my age, met my dad and got knocked up. They got married and she never went back.” I said with a shrug.

“Why?”

“Don’t know. Mom never told me much about her side of the family, aside from the fact that they supposedly were witches.”

“Witches?” Wally asked, disbelief laced in his voice. I let out a chuckle, placing the chopped up tomatoes in a bowl.

“Is it that hard to believe?”

“Yes and no.” He stated. “Yes because, witches. No because… well I’ve seen a lot of shit.”

I laughed quietly, my hand moving to turn on the stove.

There was a silence, and the only sound that could be heard was that of the minced meat fizzing in the pan. I poured the tomatoes in, and observed Wally from the corner of my eye, debating if I should ask him some questions. Revealing his identity was big enough. I didn’t want to pry too much in his personal life. At the same time, I couldn’t help but be curious. Something about him intrigued me.

As Wally reached up to get some plates, he began to speak once again.

“So what about the rest of your family? Do you have any siblings?”

“No I’m an only child. It’s just been me and my mom for the majority of my life.”

“Why’s that?”

“My dad isn’t alive.” I stated nonchalantly. Wally’s face dropped, and he pursed his lips.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s okay. He died while he was locked up, but I’m not too broken up about it. He wasn’t exactly a saint.” I shrugged, stirring the pan a bit.

“He was in jail?”

“Arkham.” I corrected.

Seeing as the steam from the frying pan started to fill up the kitchen, I decided to open a window. I also needed some space after that talk. I wasn’t usually one to open up. Talking about these things with people I feel comfortable with, aka my mom, was exhausting enough, so doing it with this random dude I just met, who happens to be a superhero, was a little overwhelming.

As I pushed the window open, a few birds hurried away from it’s frame, frantically flapping their wings. A few feathers flew off in the process, and the sound of the commotion caused Elvis to stark barking.

“Elvis they’re birds, calm down.” I muttered, pulling on his collar to stop him from jumping out the window. From behind me I heard the speedster hero letting out a laugh.

“Is he always like this?”

“He’s very protective.” I noted, patting the dog on the head. “He can sense the spirits that live here too, and given that not all of them are nice, he tends to be on guard.”

“Right, you have ghosts ‘n stuff here… what’s that like?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, my voice slightly mocking in it’s tone.

“Like… don’t you get scared? Isn’t it weird to have literal dead people walk around?”

“No, not really. I’ve been dealing with it my whole life.” I retorted, turning the stove off. “As a kid it was pretty terrifying, but now… I dunno I guess I’m not affected by it the same way anymore.”

“Huh… are they here now?”

“Hard to say with this thing on.” I said, pointing at my eyepatch. “But I would guess so. Some spirits are bound to my apartment because they died in here, so they can’t really leave.”

“That’s gotta be a real pain in the ass.” Wally droned. “I can’t imagine being stuck in one place forever.”

“Well,” I began, taking the plates from Wally’s hands.”They don’t know any better. A lot of them forget what it’s like to be alive after a while, so you don’t really see it as being stuck. You got nothing better to do anyway.”

“Maybe, but still. I could never be in one place for so long.”

“And why is that, exactly?”

“My legs get restless.”

 

***

 

“Okay, I’m not saying you should, but would you?”

“Hell no. I got priorities.”

“Like what?”

“Y’know… superhero stuff. I don’t have time for ‘regular jobs.’” Wally said, his fingers mimicking quotation marks. I raised an eyebrow at him, and put some popcorn in my mouth.

“Uh-hu. So what, you don’t got a job aside from being the Flash?”

“No.”

“How do you even have any money?” I questioned. Wally let out a laugh, and rubbed his neck, seemingly a bit embarrassed.

“I get payed to do stuff as the Flash. Like, brand deals, showing up at events ‘n whatnot.”

“Guess that covers most fees.”

“Well my apartment back in Central City doesn’t really cost much. Plus, it’s not like I’d be good at much else. Being the Flash is like the only thing I know how to do right.” The redhead chuckled, his voice a bit hollow. I hummed, my eyes turning to the tv for a second before returning to Wally’s frame.

“Yeah, I’m not really good at anything either. I can barely make coffee for fucks sake, and that’s my job.” I muttered, squinting disapprovingly, mostly at myself.

“Don’t you have any hobbies?” The man asked, continuously petting Elvis, whose head was neatly placed in Wally’s lap. I put the bowl of popcorn down on the table, and crossed my arms.

“I mean, I play guitar but-”

“Really? That’s cool! I’ve never had any talents like that.”

“I wouldn’t call it a talent per say… I’ve been playing and practicing since I was a kid, sure, but that doesn’t mean it’s any good.”

“Only one way to find out.”

“What?”

“Play something for me!” Wally suggested, the sparkles in his eyes putting the shine of Green Lantern to shame. I laughed nervously, and held my up my hands in front of my face.

“N-no I don’t think you wanna hear me play. Besides I don’t… really play in front of others. I-”

“Hey it’s cool. If you don’t feel comfortable with it I won’t push you.” He stated with a wide grin. I shot him a thankful smile, and was just about to say something about maybe playing for him another time, when I heard the sound of my phone ringing. Quickly I picked it up, and answered the call.

“Hey mom. No I- yeah I know I was supposed to call but something came up today.” I muttered, looking over at Wally. As my mom continued to complain over the phone, keeping me verbally hostage, the redhead just smiled smugly. I narrowed my eyes at him, implying that he was a piece of-

_“Oi, me estás escuchando Avery?”_

“Huh?”

_“Voy a venir mañana, lo entiendes?”_

“Sí mamá, entiendo.” I retorted with a sigh. “Just… please knock before trying to go inside. My door _is_ locked you know. Bye.”

Before she had time to respond, I hung up. It was only now that Wally made a sound.

“Your _mom_ is coming over?”

“Yeah, tomorrow morning. I don’t have much of a choice.” I grumbled, rubbing my forehead. “She’s probably just gonna leave some food and be off. She usually doesn’t stay long. Especially when I have company.”

“Oh right, what’s she gonna think about me being here?”

“Eh, if we’re lucky you won’t get interrogated.”

“Why would-”

“She’s a hundred percent going to believe you’re my new boyfriend or something.” I shrugged, throwing my phone on the couch. “Don’t worry, I’ll let her know as soon as she steps inside. She’s still probably going to gossip about you though.”

“Good to know.”

I hummed in agreement, leaning back into my seat. Not paying much attention to the movie being shown on tv, I began to unbuckle my eyepatch. As soon as it came off, I rubbed my face soothingly. Man did it get hot under there. I spared no time before also getting the hair tie out of my hair, letting my dreadlocks rest on my shoulders.

“Freedom.” I whispered, voice filled with joy. Getting rid of those two things was one of the highlights of every day.

Opening my eyes back up, my vision was filled with the usual clutter. Granted, a lot of the spirits weren’t present. Some probably got sick of this place and went to the apartment across the hall.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw how Wally observed me. I turned my head to look at him, and he averted his gaze. Not a lot, just a little bit.

“Does it freak you out?”

“What?”

“My eye?” I questioned, genuinely curious. Wally furrowed his brows, and shook his head.

“Nah. I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“About the things you can see. _That’s_ what freaks me out. I’d be losing my shit if I saw… whatever it is you’re seeing.”

“Heh, well it’s like I said before; you get used to it.” I said with a laugh. “By the way... I’m gonna have to go to work as soon as my mom leaves tomorrow morning. Thankfully I have a later shift, so I won’t have to stress, but I thought I’d let you know.”

“Should I come with you?”

“What? Why?”

“I _am_ watching you to make sure you don’t do anything stupid.” Wally pointed out, adding a dramatic tone to his voice. Was he mimicking Superman?

“Uh… okay? Sure, I mean, I’m sure my boss won’t mind, but don’t be surprised if he makes you work for free.”

**Author's Note:**

> As a personal preference there will only be POV changes chapter wise, meaning that I won't switch between Wally and Avery in the middle of a chapter. Kind of takes you out of it if you ask me. Anyhow, this first chapter was pretty long, as I struggled a bit with starting the story (as I always do), but hopefully it was good nonetheless!


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